M. Pia De Girolamo

"Pompeii" by M. Pia De Girolamo © 2012. From sketchbook. 

Acrylic paint, Mixed Media, 9" x 12"

When I was a kid, there were few things I liked better than buying a new sketchpad. I’d feel the paper, testing the weight and texture between my fingers. It had to be not too thin, not too thick, not too smooth, not too rough-as in the Goldilocks story, it had to be “just right”.  I relished seeing the clean white pages and couldn’t wait to mark them up with the drawing pencil or pen and ink.

Nowadays, I like to be able to use a variety of media like watercolor, acrylic, and glues in my sketchpads. I can also be pretty strenuous in making marks on the paper with pencil, pen or water-soluble wax crayon  (Caran D’Ache crayons are wonderful-pricey but worth it). The paper has to withstand the handling without tearing and with minimal warping, if I use liquid media. 

After testing a bunch, over the years I’ve hit on 2 sketchpad brands that I use consistently. The first is Canson’s Mix Media (yes, it says Mix Media and not Mixed Media, maybe it’s a translational thing because I think they’re French) in 9” x 12” size. The second is Aquabee‘s Super Deluxe pad in 9” x 6” size, which is great to fit in a pocketbook or if I’m traveling and bringing only a small bag. Both are designed for wet and dry media. The larger Canson pad has perforations so you can easily rip out a nice drawing and give it to someone as a gift! Both papers are acid free and so should not yellow over time. 

"Ship" by M. Pia De Girolamo © 2012. From sketchbook.

Caran D'Ache water soluble crayons. 6" x 9".

It’s fun to experiment with different surfaces but it makes life easier when you have  “go-to” items that you can reach for time and again and be assured of consistent results. 

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